Supporting Small Farmers in Puerto Rico in Hurricane Maria’s Aftermath

If you’ve see the news in the last week, you know that Hurricane Maria has devastated Puerto Rico. The food situation on the islands is dire. Puerto Rico imports nearly 85% of their food from other countries, many of which have experienced natural disasters of their own and are unable to meet the need. An estimated 80% of the islands’ crops were destroyed during the hurricane, a crushing blow to efforts to strengthen the islands’ local food system and build food sovereignty.

For over 5 years, WhyHunger has been working with The Boricuá Organization for Ecological Agriculture of Puerto Rico (Boricuá), a 28-year old organization dedicated to rebuilding the food sovereignty of Puerto Rico. Formed by over 100 families of small-scale farmers, farmworkers and organizers across Puerto Rico and the islands of Vieques & Culebra, Boricuá has made great progress in the last three decades to organize and support farmers, facilitate trainings, and bring more locally grown, nutritious food to their communities and to market. You can read more about Boricuá here.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Boricuá’s small-scale farms took a big hit and it will take time, resources, and many hands to rebuild their farms and replant crops and fruit trees. WhyHunger is working with Boricuá to make sure that over 100 farmers in Puerto Rico have food to survive the immediate crisis, as well as seeds, tools, transportation and other resources needed for the months of rebuilding ahead.

These farmers and their work represent a key part of Puerto Rico’s growing local food system, as well as important contributions to the kind of biodiversity that mitigates climate change and strengthens resilience in the face of future natural disasters. Rebuilding the farming infrastructure in Puerto Rico is critical to recovering from this humanitarian crisis and in the on-going struggle to build a sustainable food system.

Click here to make a secure donation to support this work. One hundred percent of your gift will help small farmers rebuild their farms, feed their families and communities, and create a sustainable and resilient food system in Puerto Rico.What about the other parts of the United States impacted by recent hurricanes and natural disasters?In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and wildfires in the western part of our nation, WhyHunger is stepping up to support disaster relief in two keys ways.

First, by providing direct support to our grassroots partners on the ground, like our friends in Puerto Rico, who have reached out to us for aid. And second, through the WhyHunger Hotline and Find Food database. These tools, the most comprehensive in the country, help people who have lost everything find the food they need. No matter where you are in the country you can call or text your zip code to 1-800-5HUNGRY or search online at whyhunger.org/FindFood to quickly and easily locate the closest place to access nutritious food and hot meals.

We’ve seen a big increase in calls, texts, and searches from Texas, Louisiana, and Florida and are working hard to assist people whose lives have been devastated and who have been displaced. We are in touch with our partners on the ground to get the most up-to-date information to share with callers.